OSCA 3211

Chefs

Overview

  • Employed persons

    81,500

  • Employment status

    56.2% Full time

    43.8% Part time

  • Median age

    35 years

  • Employment by sex

    27.4% Female

    72.6% Male

    Moderately male dominated

  • Indigenous employment share

    1.1%

  • Main employing industry

    Accommodation and Food Services

Indicator Chefs Total employment
Employed persons 81,500 12,049,400
Median age 35 years 40 years
Full-time share 56.2% 64.2%
Part-time share 43.8% 35.8%
Female employment share 27.4% 48.5%
Male employment share 72.6% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Moderately male dominated Gender balanced
Indigenous employment share 1.1% 2.2%
Main employing industry Accommodation and Food Services Health Care and Social Assistance
Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

Occupation overview

Chefs plan and organise the preparation and cooking of food in dining and catering establishments.

Skill level (education and experience level)

Skill level 2
equivalent to a Diploma or Advanced Diploma level qualification.

Note: While skill levels are described using formal education levels, some people use a combination of informal learning, on-the-job training and personal experience to achieve an equivalent level.

OSCA structure

Technicians and Trades Workers (3)
  • Chefs and Food Trades Workers (32)

Employment

On this page

    Industries

    Top 10 most common industries, 2021

    Chefs Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Accommodation and Food Services 80.9% Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Health Care and Social Assistance 6.2% Retail Trade 9.1%
    Arts and Recreation Services 2.0% Construction 8.9%
    Manufacturing 1.8% Education and Training 8.8%
    Retail Trade 1.2% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Education and Training 1.0% Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Public Administration and Safety 0.9% Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Administrative and Support Services 0.7% Manufacturing 5.9%
    Mining 0.4% Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Other Services 0.3% Financial and Insurance Services 3.7%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

    States and territories

    Employment distribution by states and territories, 2021

    • New South Wales

      28.4%

    • Victoria

      28.2%

    • Queensland

      19.2%

    • South Australia

      6.7%

    • Tasmania

      2.5%

    • Northern Territory

      1.3%

    • Australian Capital Territory

      2.4%

    Chefs Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales 23,200 28.4% 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria 23,000 28.2% 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland 15,700 19.2% 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia 5,500 6.7% 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia 9,200 11.3% 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania 2,100 2.5% 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory 1,000 1.3% 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory 1,900 2.4% 248,600 2.1%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

    Age and sex

    Employment distibution by age group and sex, 2021

    Chefs

    Total employment

    Age group Chefs Total employment
    15–24 years 11.1% 14.3%
    25–34 years 36.1% 22.7%
    35–44 years 26.5% 22.3%
    45–54 years 15.2% 20.4%
    55–64 years 9.3% 15.3%
    65–74 years 1.7% 4.3%
    75 years and over <0.1% 0.6%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.
    Sex Chefs Total employment
    Female 27.4% 48.5%
    Male 72.6% 51.5%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

    On this page

      OSCA occupation profiles data

      This file contains data available from the OSCA Occupation Profile page.

      Use of this data must include the relevant attribution text provided.

      OSCA Occupation data - 2021 Census.xlsx

      xlsx 1236447

      Download

      Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA)

      Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA) is the skill-based classification used to categorise occupations across the Australian labour market. OSCA is used to define occupations across all official occupational statistics. OSCA replaces the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO).

      Each job is classified to one, and only one, group of jobs at each level of the classification with no overlaps. This prevents the accidental double-counting of roles within the Australian labour market. For more information about OSCA, visit the What is OSCA information page, or the ABS website.

      Find out more

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